- Innovation grants awarded to improve child and youth mental health in WA
- Nearly $4.5 million allocated to three winners to roll out innovative solutions
- Focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child and youth mental health
Three recipients will share in almost $4.5 million for innovation programs to boost care in child and youth mental health in Western Australia.
Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson announced three winners of theInnovation Challenge Child and Youth Mental Health, which is supported by the Cook Government's Future Health and Innovation Fund (FHRI).
The Innovation Challenge was launched to stimulate innovation in WA and the development and delivery of a solution to make significant improvements in child and youth mental health.
Stage one of the Innovation Challenge, announced in 2021, awarded 11 applicants up to $50,000 each to undertake feasibility studies or build prototypes to progress their ideas.
These teams were then given the opportunity to apply for stage two, competing for up to $1.5 million to build on their outcomes of stage one and to fully develop and roll out their concepts.
The Innovation Challenge originally intended to award only one winner, however due to the outstanding quality of applications, the expert panel recommended three recipients to undertake their programs.
The three programs include:
- a simple genetic test to personalise medication management for children and youth living with mental health conditions;
- a child and youth mental health project to improve treatment access in rural and regional WA, in collaboration with health service providers; and
- an innovative digital and culturally appropriate tablet-based app to help improve the hearing and mental health outcomes of Aboriginal children.
Further information about the grant recipients can be found on the FHRI Fund - funding outcomeswebsite.
As stated by Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson:
"The Cook Government is committed to helping drive outcomes and cement WA's expertise in child health research and precision health.
"Congratulations to these three winners, whose work will advance child and youth mental health research and innovation in WA.
"Innovation is essential to improve health outcomes and the Innovation Challenge has certainly exceeded expectations with three projects being greenlit to provide much needed support in the mental health space for WA children, youth and their families.
"I look forward to seeing our three winners implementing their programs which I know will lead to better outcomes for child and youth mental health in WA."
